In this study, I compare the musical and extra-musical content of MuchMusic and MTV, and examine how the stations construct their two distinct identities on either side of the border. Moving beyond analysis of individual videos, I look at the overall programming of each station, uncover the well-hidden matrixes of power that dictate which performers appear and which genres get the most airtime, and delve into how constructions of gender and race serve to “naturalize” distinct and complex nationalist ideologies. In so doing, I examine why Canada successfully has withstood the MTV invasion—one of the few countries internationally to have done so.